Lasting machine with adhesive delivery control



July 22, 1958 T. A. WEISZ 2,343,363

LASTING MACHI'NE WITH ADHESIVE DELIVERY CONTROL Filed June 7, 1956 A7 4 fzzuezzzar owawwi W6 is gwwizfl United States Patent LASTING MACHINE WITH ADHESIVE. DELIVERY CONTROL Thomas A. Weisz, Plymouth, Mass., assignor to Jacob S. Kamborian, West Newton, Mass.

Application June 7, 1956, Serial No. 589,900

6 Claims. (Cl. 12-8.3)

This invention relates to lasting machines and more especially to machines of the kind in which a pair of oppositely turning rolls continuously grip the opposite sides of the lasting margin and apply both stressing and feeding forces thereto, and in which there is means for applying adhesive to the stressed lasting margin as it issues from the rolls and before it is laid down against the shoe bottom.

It is customary to deliver the adhesive whether cold or hot in a solid stream to the shoe as the latter is traversed with respect to the applicator nozzle at a rate which corresponds substantially to the speed at which the edge of the shoe is traveling in order to apply'a sufficient quantity to insure good bonding. Delivery of the adhesive to the nozzle is usually controlled by separation of the feed rolls as the work is introduced therebetween so that it is started at the moment the operator starts the lasting margin between the rolls and is terminated when the lasting margin is withdrawn from the rolls- Adhesive because of its viscosity is notoriously slow to start flowing and correspondingly slow to stop flowing. Consequently, if the delivery of the adhesive is controlled to start discharge at the nozzle with the entrance of the lasting margin between the feed rolls the lag due to the slow start of flow results in the passage of a considerable length of the lasting margin through i the feed rolls and beyond the nozzle before the adhesive begins to issue therefrom so that, that portion has no adhesive on it. At the end of the lasting margin'when the shoe is removed the adhesive flow having started from the nozzle continues to issue after the shoe is removed so that a considerable quantity is discharged and wasted. Control by the relative position of the feed rolls is therefore not satisfactory.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved control for starting and stopping the delivery of the adhesive from the applicator noz zle so that it will be applied in adequate quantity to the leading end of the lasting margin as soon as the latter is delivered from the feed rolls following stressing and is stopped immediately when the trailing end of the lasting margin is reached, thereby to insure application of adhesive to the entire length of the lasting margin without danger of loss of adhesive by discharge after the lasting operation is completed. Other objects are to provide a control which is of simple construction, automatically operable, can be installed on existing machines, can easily be adjusted to take care of varyingconditions such as rate of speed, viscosity of the adhesive, and will not be afiected by variations in the thickness of the lasting margin.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lasting instrumentalities of a machine of the kind with which this invention is concerned, showing oppositely turning rolls engaged with the opposite sides of the lasting margin of a shoe, a hold-down, an applicator nozzle and a rotary wiper;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the control means in which the feed rolls are shown in horizontal section and the control means is shown in its operative position so that adhesive is being delivered to the lasting margin located between the feed rolls; and

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view showing the control means in its inoperative position after the lasting margin has moved beyond it and is about to be discharged from the feed rolls.

Referring to the drawings (Fig. 1), there is shown the operating head 10 of a lasting machine, such as is illustrated in the pending application of Jacob S. Kamborian and Thomas A. Weisz, Serial No. 529,247, filed August 18, 1955, which supports for rotation in opposite directions a pair of work-gripping rolls 12 and 14 which engage the opposite sides of the lasting margin 16 of an upper mounted on a last 18 to which the bottom member 19 has been previously tacked. The rolls are tapered so as to produce an updrafting stress on the lasting margin as it is advanced between the rolls as is customary in this type of machine. In order to hold the shoe down against the updrafting stress there is a holddown finger 20 fastened to a side of the head which has a curved lower end 22 for sliding engagement with the bottom member. Adhesive is supplied to and discharged from the end of a nozzle 24, an end of which is located at the delivery side of the rolls in a position to discharge the adhesive within the angle between the stressed last ing margin and the bottom member of the shoe just before it is laid down by a wiper 26, the latter being shown herein as of the rotary type, although it is to be understood that a reciprocating wiper or a fixed wiper may be employed as illustrated in the aforesaid application and earlier machines of this kind.

The operator normally lasts a shoe by starting at one end, for example the heel end by introducing the lasting margin 16 between the rolls 12 and 14, and then with the lasting margin engaged continuously moving the shoe from right to left until the toe is reached, whereupon he removes the lasting margin from the rolls by tipping the last downwardly so that it feeds out of the rolls. The shoe is then turned to bring the opposite side thereof opposite the rolls and the other side of the lasting margin is advanced between the rolls from the toe end to the heel end. The adhesive is supplied to the nozzle 24 under pressure and it is customary to try to control the discharge so as to start it promptly with the movement of the lasting margin between the rolls and stop it promptly with the removal of the lasting margin from the rolls. In prior machines a partial control has been effected by providing means operable by closing of the rolls to start the adhesive and by separation of the rolls to stop delivery. It was intended that as soon as the lasting margin commenced to advance between the rolls delivery of the adhesive would start and as soon as it left the rolls deliverywould stop. This was not so for due to the lag in flow of the adhesive even when it is hot and the fact that the lasting margin travels at a fairly rapid rate a considerable portion of the lasting margin would escape through the rolls and get beyond the nozzle without receiving any adhesive. Moreover, when the end of the lasting margin was reached and removed the .adhesive continued to flow, discharging and dripping down on the machine parts. Additionally, because of the variations in the thickness of the lasting margin it was difiicult to keep the adhesive flowing uniformly. In accordance with this invention the foregoing difiiculties have been overcome ,by pressure controlmeans located near the ingoing side of the feed rolls so that control is not dependent upon the feed rolls themselves.

As herein illustrated the adhesive nozzle 24 may be connected directly to an adhesive container 28 (Fig. 1) within which the adhesive is under air pressure and be tween which and the nozzle there is a valve 30 for controlling flow of the adhesive from the container to the nozzle or a container 32 (Figs. 2 and 3), wherein the adhesive may or may not be under pressure and there is a motor driven pump 34 located between the container and the nozzle for delivering adhesive under pressure to the nozzle. In either case whether a valve 30 or a motor driven pump 34'is employed the operation is the same. In the case of the valve 30 a solenoid S is employed which is operable by a suitable electric circuit including a switch 36 to be opened or closed to permit the passage of adhesive to the nozzle or to cut it Ofi. The motor driven pump 34 is correspondingly operated to be started or stopped by the switch 36 to deliver adhesive under pressure to the nozzle or to cut it off.

The switch 36, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, has a movable contact point 38 which is connected to a diaphragm 40 which forms one side of a chamber 42. Extending from the chamber 42 there is a pipe 44, one end of which is arranged adjacent the lasting instrumentalities near the ingoing side of the rolls l2 and 14 so as to terminate opposite the path of the lasting margin, as illustrated in Fig. 1. At the opposite side of the lasting margin that is, at the inner side of the lasting margin, as illustrated in Fig. 1, there is located a second pipe 46 which has its end in alignment with the end of the pipe 44. This pipe 46 is supplied with air pressure from a suitable source of air pressure, for example a factory supply line, controlled by a reducing valve 48 and a pressure regulator St Normally in the absence of pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure at the end of the pipe 44 the diaphragm 4t} occupies the position shown in Fig. 2, so that the valve contact 38 is closed and the solenoid or motor 34 is excited to cause delivery of adhesive to and through the nozzle 24 for application to the lasting margin. This condition would, of course, exist when the lasting margin is actually present and moving between the ends of the pipe 44 and 46 so that it prevents air issuing from the pipe 46 from acting on the column of air in the pipe.44. As soon as the lasting margin is withdrawn from between the ends of the pipe 44 and 4-6 the jet of air issuing from the pipe 46 will act upon the column of air in the pipe 44 in a direction to distend the diaphragm 40 and hence to withdraw the contact 38 thereby to open the circuit and hence to de-energize the solenoid or motor driven ptunp as the case may be. This cuts oif delivery of adhesive to the nozzle.

With the foregoing arrangement the lag in the flow of adhesive at the start of the lasting operation may be taken into account so as to insure starting the adhesive from the nozzle soon enough to get adhesive on the leading end of the lasting margin and to stop it at the end of the lasting margin soon enough so that no adhesive is wasted. As illustrated the control means is located ahead of the feed rolls hence it initiates delivery even before the lasting margin is engaged between the rolls for in order to position the shoe for engagement of the lasting margin with the feed rolls its leading portions must be passed between the adjacent ends of the pipe 44 and 46 before it reaches the feed rolls which promptly cuts off the pressure against the column of air in the pipe 44. This results in an instantaneous collapse of the diaphragm 40 because of its inherent resilience and tendency to return to its undistended position and because of the fact that the air within the chamber has substantially no opposing inertia so that the switch point 38 is closed immediately and the solenoid or motor driven pump promptly started. As the end of the lasting margin approaches the feed rolls the shoe is tipped downwardly to disengage it therefrom but before disengagement the lasting margin passes beyond the ends of the pipes 44 and 46 so that air is delivered from the end of the pipe 46 into the end of the pipe 44 thus distending the diaphragm and opening the switch 36 which promptly de-energizes the solenoid or motor driven pump as the case may be and hence stops discharge. This action takes place far enough ahead of the feed rolls so that by the time the end of the lasting margin issues from the feed rolls the discharge has ceased. The promptness with which the switch 36 is operated is controllable by varying the pressure at which the air issues from the pipe 46 and it is for this purpose that the regulating valve 50 is provided. Since the air is elastic it is quite easy to regulate and time the operation of the switch to insure cessation of discharge by varying the pressure of the air issuing from the pipe 46 without in any way affecting the closing of the switch at the start of the next operation, for as pointed out above cutting off the pressure by movement of the lasting margin between the pipes results in an instantaneous operation of the switch without lag. It is also possible to correlate the speed of the lasting margin with the lag of adhesive discharge by shifting the position of the pipe 44 and 46 with respect to the ingoing'side of the feed rolls that is, by moving them closer to the feed rolls the time between actuation of the control and delivery from the nozzle is shortened, whereas by movement of the pipes away from the feed rolls the time is lengthened.

The foregoing control has a particular advantage in that it is completely independent of the thickness of the lasting margin and hence independent of the proximity of the'feed rolls with respect to each other and of the speed of rotation of the feed rolls.

While. the control shown herein is particularly adapted for lasting operations it is obvious that it could be of use in other machines of a character designed to apply adhesive continuously to lengths of material where it is necessary to start and stop the delivery of adhesive at the leading and trailing ends and to do it in such fashion as to insure coating throughout the entire length without loss of adhesive when the work is removed.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turning in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly apply lasting and feeding stresses to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the delivery side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoe within the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, and operable means for supplying adhesive under pressure to said nozzle, operation of said operable means being initiated by the presence of a course of lasting margin at the intake side of the rolls and terminated by the absence of lasting margin at the intake side of the rolls.

2. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turning in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly apply a lasting and feeding stress to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the delivery side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoe within the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, means operable for controlling the supply of adhesive under pressure to said nozzle, a pressure operated switch for effecting operation of said lastnamed means, said pressure operated switch being located close to the ingoing side of the rolls opposite the path along which the lasting margin travels, and means at the opposite side of the lasting margin aligned with the pressure operated switch operable in the absence of a lasting margin between it and the pressure operated switch to effect operation of said pressure operated switch.

3. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turning in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly apply lasting and feeding stresses to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the delivery side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoes in the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, motor means for supplying adhesive under pressure to said nozzle, a switch for starting and stopping the motor means, pneumatically operated means for effecting operation of said switch, said pneumatically operated means being located close to the ingoing side of the rolls opposite the path along which the lasting margin moves as it enters the rolls, a nozzle at the opposite side of the path along which the lasting margin moves in substantial alignment with said pneumatically operated means and means for continuously ejecting air under pressure from the nozzle against said pneumatically operated switch.

4. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turn in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly applying lasting and feeding stresses to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the delivery side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoe within the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, a motor driven pump for supplying adhesive under pressure to said nozzle, a switch for starting and stopping the motor, pneumatically operated means for effecting operation of the switch, said pneumatically operated means being located near the ingoing side of the feed rolls opposite the path along which the lasting margin moves as it enters the rolls, a nozzle at the opposite side of the lasting margin and in alignment with the pressure operated means and means for continuously ejecting air under pressure from the nozzle toward the pressure operated means for operating the switch in the absence of a lasting margin therebetween to block air ejected by the nozzle from entering said pressure operated means.

5. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turn in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly apply lasting and feeding stresses to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the discharge side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoe within the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, a motor operated valve for admitting adhesive under pressure to the nozzle, and means for starting and stopping the motor, said means being operable by air pressure responsive means, said lastnamed means being located near the ingoing side of the feed rolls opposite the path of the lasting margin, and means at the opposite side of the path of the lasting margin for continuously supplying air under pressure in a stream directed against said air pressure responsive means, said air pressure responsive means in the absence of air pressure for its operation holding the means for actuating said motor inoperative.

6. In a lasting machine of the kind in which a pair of rolls turn in opposite directions continuously and uninterruptedly apply lasting and feeding stresses to the lasting margin of a shoe, an applicator nozzle situated at the discharge side of the rolls for delivering adhesive to the shoe within the angle between the stressed margin and the shoe bottom, electrically operated means for supplying adhesive under pressure to the nozzle, 3. switch for operating said electrically operated means, a chamber having a diaphragm displaceable to actuate said switch, a pipe extending from the chamber to a place adjacent the ingoing side of the feed rolls opposite the path of movement of the lasting margin, a second pipe located at the opposite side of the path of the lasting margin and in alignment with the first pipe, and means for supplying air under pressure to said second pipe for delivery thereof as a jet into the mouth of the first pipe when the latter is not covered by the passage of the lasting margin therebetween.

No references cited. 

